Hobie Cat Forums

getting the boat out of the warehouse I noticed the comp. tip had a little movement. not much. Do you think it is something that should be taken off and rerivited?

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MTM Racing

I think that if you're able to move the comptip by hand, then it will probably move ten times as far when you pull in hard on your 7:1 mainsheet and 8:1 downhaul. So yes, I would fix it. Probably needs some putty inside the joint.

sm

took the mast tang off and the movement didn't get any worse. I have another question about the rivet caps that go in before the rivet. Is it for waterproofing or carbon to s.s connection? I forgot to mention 3 or 4 of the rivet had become loose. thanks for the info.

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MTM Racing

My guess, it's broken inside the joint. I broke one about 2 inches inside the mast extrusion. Putty will not fix this. On mine, I pulled it out, chipped out the foam and glass, and seated a new tip. Good as new.

My understanding is that in cases of a loose fitting comptip, they would put putty (bondo) on the comptip ferrule prior to installing in order to fill the gap between the comptip ferrule and the aluminum extrusion. So that was my thought, maybe it loosened up over time and just needs some putty in the joint and then re-riveted. If the comptip is cracked, then definintely it needs to be replaced. In any case, there is something going on there and simply putting in new rivets is not likely to solve the problem.

You should put your hand on the joint while someone flexes the mast tip so you can try to determine the source of the movement.

The purpose of the rivet caps is to keep water out of the mast. They also provide a barrier between the stainless rivets and the aluminum mast extrusion. There is no carbon fiber in the comptip - it's fiberglass (carbon fiber is conductive and would totally defeat the purpose).

sm

You need to pull out the comptip and check it. If it is not damaged then you can re-seat it with Bondo (or similiar) and re-rivet (use casings, they are for a waterproof seal). If the comp tip is cracked or broken, then either replace it or try and fix by hollowing out foam and building up on inside of crack with fiberglass resin and fibers. Good luck.

pulled tip off today and found no damage. it appeared to be set in a silicon or butyl chaulk. should I use a solid or a flexable adhesive?

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MTM Racing

oh yea thanks for all of ya'lls replies.

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MTM Racing

Solid... as mentioned, Bondo works well and is easy to work with. Has to be a hard shim / bond to hold it straight under heavy loads.

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Matt Miller
Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Hobie Cat USA

Similar subject:

I have recently acquired a used H-20 and the comp tip is really sun baked... is this just cosmetic or does the glass get weakened by prolonged UV?

To make it look nice can I just paint it black again (not the plastic guide though)... and if I paint it what type is recommended?

Thx,

Brian

Engineers long ago mentioned Vinyl paint?

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=117

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Matt Miller
Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Hobie Cat USA